Desire
by CianieMoo
Summary: When Diana is on the brink of death, a surprise visitor reminds her of the one thing she always wanted to hear. Will the mysterious person say it?


**A/N: This is just a one-shot of something swimming around in my head lately. I've always wanted to see a fic where Diana is compared to a woman that never got to be a child, that had the same desires of a family as they did, so I made one myself. Not how I pictured it would turn out, but it's something.**

**Oh, and hopefully I'll be able to post more chapters for my other stories later on today. If not, hopefully by tomorrow. I'm gonna be busy for a while.**

**On with the story!**

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It was never supposed to end up like this.

The battle against the gods left the city devastated, nearly in ruins. Debris and dead bodies were everywhere, littering what was once the most thriving city in the world.

The Justice League had been called down to help mere hours earlier, believing that it was something minor like a bank robbery. They were far, _far_ off. A slew of their worst enemies came tumbling from the sky, their desire to destroy their mortal enemies burning them from the inside. Darkseid, Doomsday, Ra's Al Ghul, Circe…they all were there. Taking them down wasn't easy, but they managed to do it.

That's when it got much, _much_ worse.

Diana's "family" decided that it was the perfect time to strike then, to kill the imperfection of their blood. Weary and exhausted from her earlier battles, she tried her best to fight them. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and all the others did their best to defend her.

Poseidon was the first to strike. When Diana used to say his name around the Watchtower he was jokingly referred to as "Aquaman Senior" because his powers were basically the same as the hero's, just a thousand times more powerful, with a little more additions here and there, such as being able to control the sea. As he drowned the city, Superman fought him, desperately trying to cease his onslaught. Green Lantern finally was able to kill him by managing to pierce his heart with his own trident, bringing the tyrant down.

Next was Hades, who, although not as willing to hurt as his brother, was just as ruthless. Though he had no desire to kill Diana; he wanted her as his bride, his queen of the underworld. He wanted her to be his, and only his.

He was thrown back where he came from with ease.

The other gods were challenging, yes, but they managed to beat them. It was when the last god came up that Diana's blood ran cold.

"War?" she said, the word breathless on her lips. "I…I thought you were with us, trying to work for the better good."

The elder god had somehow managed to recover his youth, his dingy and bloodstained suit traded in for his battle armor and helmet. A sneer stretched his mouth as he boomed, "Ah, I was, child, but no longer! I have come to reclaim what is rightfully mine!"

He had "died" months prior, letting Diana take his spot as the God of War. Bruce's enemy, Ra's al Ghul, heard of this and did everything in his power to bring back the old god. Succeeding, he managed to also recover War's old personality before he met Diana.

The demigoddess clenched her hands together tightly, tearing her eyes away from War. He was the closest thing she ever had to a father, and now she was to fight him? He helped her rescue her younger brother, Zeke, from death, he helped her protect the woman she promised to guard with her life…he _died_ for her. Only her. How could she pretend that none of this had ever happened? Amazon or not, goddess or not, she had emotions, feelings.

"Enough of talk! We fight—now!" He moved before she was ready and took her by surprise. His fist slammed into her stomach, sending her flying backwards into an already-crumbling building. Before she stopped moving he hit her again, punching her to the ground.

"Diana!" Clark cried out, he and Batman prepared to step in.

"Stay out of this!" she shouted back as she got to her feet. Her eyes were a cold determined blue as they bore into the elder god. "This is between me and War only. Do _not_ intervene, Superman and Batman."

Reluctantly, they stayed away, silently hoping that Diana would emerge from the battle as the victor. It seemed like hours passed before it was apparent that the demigoddess was on her last legs, barely standing then. Her costume was torn and dirtied, her body bled and ached, and her vision began to fail her. Nonetheless she continued to fight.

The last attack War made was devastating.

He called out to the heavens and instantly was given the most powerful sword in existence, which he used against Diana. As she tried to hit him he struck, hitting her in her chest. The look of shock on her face stirred a long, forgotten memory in the old god's mind, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

She collapsed to the ground, clutching the wound as crimson bled through her fingers. Her expression was locked on complete surprise, she was hoping to get through to the god. As she glanced up she saw no trace of the man that taught her how to fight, that taught her how to show mercy. As if he read her mind he said, "Mercy, my child, is for the weak. I show no mercy or pity to my victims, only the cold, hard _truth_." With that he turned around and, without sparing her another glance, disappeared.

Clark and Bruce were down there in an instant, the former cradling the young demigoddess in his hands. "Diana…" he whispered softly.

Groaning, she opened her eyes, at first seeing two blurs, one black and grey while the other, closer, was red and blue. It took a moment, but she eventually picked up on it being her two closest friends, the two who would do anything for her.

"Kal…" she mumbled, weakly glancing up at him. Her chest throbbed with pain, and blood was still pouring freely from the wound. She could feel her life ebbing away slowly but surely. The injury was caused by a god, and because of that nothing, Amazon, Kryptonian, or earthly could heal her. She was going to die.

Wonder Woman was dying.

Clark and Bruce knew it was only a matter of time before Diana slipped away completely, and they knew they could do absolutely nothing. They merely watched her, consoling her in the best way they could.

Suddenly, the sky roared with spontaneous thunder, shaking the ground underneath them. A flash of lightning appeared, striking nearby. From it emerged the king of the gods himself, Zeus. Slowly he turned to the trio, and in his deep voice he demanded, "I wish to speak with her, alone."

Immediately angry, Clark stood up, jabbing a finger at the god. "Who are you to show up and try to 'talk'?" he shouted, his eyes glowing red. "You have no right at all! You were _never_ here for her, never!"

"He's right," the dark knight finally said, his voice calm, yet just as incensed as the Kryptonian's. "You hid all this time, so why appear now just when your daughter is at the brink of death?"

To their surprise, Zeus, known for his outrageous fury, did absolutely nothing. He sighed, and in moments he looked like a man that aged forty years overnight. "I knew of her death beforehand," he said. "There was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it."

"You're the king of the gods," Bruce pointed out. "You could've done _something_."

"Not even I can prevent what the Fates decide." He sighed again. "I just wish to speak with her, before she passes on. _Please_."

Bruce and Clark shared a look before silently agreeing, the latter picking up Bruce and flying away, but not before saying their final goodbyes to Diana.

When they were gone, Zeus knelt down, cradling his youngest daughter the same way Clark had done moments before. He brushed strands of raven hair from her face, and his hands brushed against her bracers, which concealed her true powers, her true identity. _My blood_, he thought as she suddenly opened her eyes.

"Z-Zeus…"

He looked at her softly. "Yes, daughter?"

She coughed, breathing in deeply. "Why…why did you come?"

What he said next was the most sincere thing he had ever spoken: "So that I can spend these last few precious moments with you."

She looked into his white eyes, and memories of being a child on Themyscira flashed through her mind. She remembered wishing to be like the other girls, having a parent. She believed to be made of clay, and only clay. The day she learned of her heritage was the day her life took a turn for the worse.

And even though she claimed to want nothing to do with him, she was still, although partially, human, and deep down she had desires as well, a desire to have a father. She wanted to be able live like a normal child, with a mother and a father, and have a normal life. Yes, she would never regret becoming Wonder Woman and being a part of the Amazons, but there were times where she wished that she was just…_human_.

"Zeus…"

"Yes, daughter?"

"Can…can you lie for me? Just this once?" Her eyes were growing dim and dark. Her final breaths were drawing near, they both knew.

"Lie about what?"

Silent, strong tears slipped from Diana's eyes as she whispered, "Please…tell me that you're proud of me. Just this once."

To say that Zeus was shocked is an understatement. "Diana, that is not a lie. I _am_ proud of you. I always have been proud of you, even when I had no knowledge of you being of my blood."

She believed it. She truly believed it. Deep down inside, she had the desire to be told from someone that they were proud of her and always would be. A childish wish, yes, but it was hers nonetheless.

"Thank…you…" Diana's eyes closed for the final time, and she drew her last breath. A smile was the last thing she left behind.

It was a tragic day. That was the day two worlds, Earth and Olympia, lost their beloved daughter, Diana.

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**A/N: And there you go. Not my best work, I'll admit, but it's something. Hopefully it makes up for me not posting lately.**

**I tried to catch the idea that superheroes, although may be the strongest people in the universe, ultimately have their own desires to be told even the simplest of things, such as being told they're proud of or loved. Since I love Diana with a burning passion, she's always my angst victim :)**

**I may turn this into a multi-chapter fanfic delving deeper into this, I dunno. Depends if you guys want it or not. Only for the readers.**

**Again, hopefully I'll be able to post more chapters...now today. Merry Christmas, everyone!**


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